Elementary Education

As a student in the Elementary Education and teaching programs you'll learn how to motivate and challenge students and prepare them for personal and educational success. You will learn how to create lessons and projects, and you will hone your instruction skills in real work experiences. Our courses will help you develop the tools for managing and counseling students' behaviors in the classroom. Your senior year student-teaching experience will help you demonstrate leadership in the classroom and among fellow educators.

Program Requirements Department of Teacher Development Elementary Education Scholarships Minnesota Transfer Pathway

Program Highlights

• An undergraduate major in Elementary Education leads to a Minnesota Teaching Licensure for kindergarten through sixth-grade classrooms.
• Our Teacher Development program enjoys a long-held reputation across the Midwest for its nurturing innovative and creative approaches among its graduates and producing well-prepared professionals for the classroom.
• As the use of mobile devices in K-12 schools has become the standard, our students learn strategies, skills, and creative ideas to enhance what is taught in classrooms.
• Elementary Education program students experience global, urban and rural clinical and field situations that provide real-life work experience.
• Our students work in a variety of cooperating school districts during their time at St. Cloud State.
• Education Abroad and student teaching opportunities in China, Chile, Italy and South Africa expand students' multicultural experiences.
• Interact with professionals, develop life-long leadership skills and volunteer for activities that let students practice their teaching skills.

Program Distinctions

• Teaching licensure programs approved by the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB).
• Membership in Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP)
• Teacher candidates have field experience (before student teaching) in three classes, totaling 250 hours. In addition, candidates spend a total of 16 weeks completing full-time student teaching, adding an additional 500 hours of classroom work. The field experience hours that occur before student teaching give candidates a firm foundation upon which to build a successful student teaching experience.
• Methods courses embed strategies for working with English language learners and students with dyslexia. These courses teach differentiation skills needed to help prepare candidates to meet  diverse needs in all of their field experience and student teaching placements.
• Notable alumni: 

  • Brad Gustafson (’01, '05) Principal, Author, Podcast Host, Minnesota Principal of the Year 2016 

  • Sean Forde ('08) Technology Integration Coach Chadwick International - South Korea, ISTE Interactive Videoconferencing Teacher of the Year (’17), ISTE Global PLN Leader, and@WORLDReadAlouds Creator 

  • Ashley Protivinsky ('09) Educational Technology Consultant at Sourcewell Technology (formerly TIES), ISTE Certification Authorized Providers Leader, Educator, and Technovation Mentor 

University Facts & Stats

• 96% of Elementary Education graduates employed
• 1,421 student field-experience placements in the College of Education and Learning Design

• 39 Education Abroad programs offered

• More than 200 student organizations

• Among Forbes' "America's Top Colleges" 

Connect With Us

Teacher Development Department